April 10, 2011

Experimented with quinces in the slow cooker.

Pretty easy really – peeled them with potato peeler, quartered, cored and then chopped into chunks.

I did about 5 quinces, into the slow cooker on high and enough water to approx half cover them. I put three tablespoons of raw sugar on top. Give them a swirl around and then leave them too it. Once they started boiling I turned it down to low and left them for about 2 hours. They change colour a little bit, going a nice soft pink.

They come out a little tart but I think about right – would go well with a little bit of ice cream or cream.

April 14, 2010

In an effort to use up our crop of quinces I tackled Quince Paste yesterday. Some success although also room for improvement. I read on the internet that the normal way to make this paste involves a lot of stirring, mess and burns – which didn’t appeal. Fortunately, someone came up with the idea of using a slow cooker. I put 7 quinces in the bottom of a slow cooker (apparently slightly under ripe ones are best as they have more pectin) and put a little bit of water with them and cooked them for 3 hrs on high. I was supposed to turn them occasionally but I forgot. Anyway, once they were soft I cut the flesh off the cores but left the skin attached (slightly controversial I think). At that point I was supposed to sieve them but there was really nothing to sieve so I just hit them with a hand blender and turned them to mush. I added a matching weight of sugar to the mix and put it back in the slow cooker for about 3 hours on high. It seems ok – I think it tastes a bit sweet but it is a nice red colour and has set well. Now I need to dry it (one site said put it on the parcel shelf of your car for a few days) and add some cheese for a taste test.